: Factors that Influence Curriculum Development
Developing a curriculum that can be implemented successfully and provide necessary education, and efficient practices is not an easy task. Many factors must be explored in order to fully grasp what components would be appropriate to include (Billings & Halstead, 2020). For example, I work at a mid-size, 150 bed hospital. We specialize in catastrophic, neurological traumas, and the hospital is non-for profit. Education is an essential aspect of the care we provide to our patients due to the role that the family members play in their care. Therefore, properly educating and equipping the patients and families with various resources will provide the highest rate of patient safety and compliance.
Impact of External Factors
One external factor that must be addressed when developing a curriculum is the demographics, who is involved. Because neurological traumas effect everyone, no matter age, race, gender or socioeconomic status, the curriculum has to be developed with each demographic in mind (Keating, 2018b). In order to achieve this, each if the educational tools given to the patients and their families must be at an appropriate literary level. Our educational brochures and packets are at a 3rd grade reading level and can be translated into any language. Additionally, we can educate various types of learners through images and videos for those who are visual/auditory learners. Moreover, another external factor that influences that impact of curriculums is financial support (Keating, 2018a). Because we are a non-for profit health system we rely heavily on private donors and various endowments. Of course, in order to provide the most relevant and researched-based information, funding is needed. As a hospital we thrive on getting patients from the hospital setting back into their own homes, this mission is what sets us apart from most hospitals. To ensure this rate stays positive consistent donations are needed (Keating, 2018a). By reiterating the importance of patient education and the necessary tools that family members will need to care for their loved one, ongoing funding should not be an issue.
Impact of Internal Factors
In addition to the external factors, there are internal factors that must be consulted as well. one of the internal factors concerns the resources that are already established within the hospital. For example, where I work we already have simulation labs, classrooms, and computer labs that allow us to properly educate our patients and their family members. This allows us to effectively and fully prepare them for life outside of the hospital walls. Moreover, the hospital is also equipped with a library that was established to house pertinent research related to neurological traumas and other neurological disorders (Keating, 2018b). Even though there are numerous resources in regards to technology and research, adequate education staff are needed. According to Keating (2018b), instructional support systems are an essential part of establishing a curriculum because of the additional resources that may be involved. Lastly, assuring that the existing staff are adequately educated on the various demographics and educational tools is essential. Therefore, by assembling a team of professionals who are bilingual, experts in patient education, and are experienced in transitional support, a new curriculum can be successfully implemented.
References
Billings, D. M., & Halstead, J. A. (2020). Forces and issues influencing curriculum development. Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Keating, S. B. (2018). Financial support and budget management for curriculum development or revision. In Keating, S. B., & DeBoor, S. S. (Eds.), Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing education (4th ed., pp. 67–75). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, LLC.
Keating, S. B. (2018). Needs assessment: The external and internal frame factors. In Keating, S. B., & DeBoor, S. S. (Eds.), Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing education (4th ed., pp. 47–65). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, LLC.
REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR
8 hours agoNicole Allamon
RE: Discussion – Week 1
COLLAPSE
I am currently working in a Perioperative setting in a 695-bed academic, level I trauma hospital. I have a 20-year history in Perioperative Nursing and hope to continue as a Perioperative Nurse Educator post-graduation. Currently, there is a small group of educators for the entire department. The facility is evolving rapidly to change its reputation from a poor one to one of evidence-based care with excellent patient outcomes. The Perioperative education department has been heavily involved in practice evaluations, alignment of practice with evidence-based standards, standardizing policies, and creating new opportunities to educate clinicians. The first Perioperative education curriculum has been established for the Operating Room but is currently developing an education curriculum for the pre and post-operative departments to educate staff on current perioperative practice changes in efforts to reach organizational goals.
To bring about changes that are needed and required, educators should have a solid knowledge base about the internal and external factors that influence nursing education (Billings & Hallstead, 2020). Focusing further, two external influences of curriculum development are demographics of the learner population and characteristics of the academic setting. Educators should survey the population for age differences as these can indicate specific learner needs. Millennial nurses have different learning styles than baby boomer nurses. Each generation comes with their own beliefs and attitudes. In order to capture each generational teaching style, educators must tailor learning to meet generation expectations and needs. Millennial nurses like to be engaged in learning new techniques and practices and often have higher career goals in mind, such as nursing leadership (Ferszt, Dugas, McGrane, & Calderelli, 2017). Methods to address the needs of millennials should focus on engaging the nurse through incorporating interactive media presentations, articulating using current phrasing, conversational experience sharing (Ferszt, Dugas, McGrane, & Calderelli, 2017). Tailoring education to baby boomer’s means understanding that they are life-long learners and loyal to their profession and often their organization (Hilton, n.d.). Educators should use informal, direct interactions and paper notes when educating this generation (Hilton, n.d.). Blending these teaching methods will facilitate the learning process generationally.
The second external factor is the characteristics of the academic setting. I work in a Magnet facility that is affiliated with one college and one university and serves the most populous city in Florida. Understanding the population needs will help guide our practice models and create healthcare standards to serve our communities best. Educators understand that the unique positive contribution, the perioperative setting can have on the patient outcome, and community influence is key to developing a robust curriculum for continuing education. Currently, there is a shortage of nurses, especially in the perioperative setting. Keating (2018) explains that shortages in specialties reveal an increase in opportunities for nurses to expand their education ( p. 53). Expanding perioperative interprofessional education facilitates experts in their specialty, nurses will strive for higher education.
Internal influences look inward at the organization. One factor at my facility is to align the education to full-fill the facility’s mission statement and goals. Understanding the long-term vision and its importance to the curriculum key to creating a setting for higher learning (Keating, 2018). My facility created a new mission statement in 2012 in efforts to change its image in the community. Vigorous endeavors have been implemented to establish an environment of learning and discovering. Creating united support and a clear understanding of the mission and goals throughout the facility has allowed educators to develop full-bodied specialty interprofessional education curriculums.
A second internal factor is to look within the facility at the resources for education development. Creating a robust pool of specialized resource staff is a valuable tool to ensure staff gain the most up to date information. My organization has enlarged its specialty resource pool of staff and has created opportunities for certified staff nurses to assist with education opportunities. Encouraging nurses to become certified in their specialty has gained significant popularity. Allowing nurses to provide education to their peers enhances their ability to understand facility goals and work collaboratively by understanding the different roles and their importance in healthcare (Billings & Hallstead, 2020).
References
Billings, D. M., & Hallstead, J. A. (2020). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Ferszt, G., Dugas, J., McGrane, C., & Calderelli, K. (2017). Creative strategies for teaching millennial nursing students. Nurse Educator, 42(6), 275-276. Retrieved from
https://www.nursingcenter.com/journalarticle?Article_ID=4369084&Journal_ID=54026&Issue_ID=4369050
Hilton, L. (n.d.). Baby boomers’ sense of duty is a solid trait for nurses: Communication with these nurses should be open, direct, and informal. Retrieved from https://resources.nurse.com/baby-boomers-
sense-of-duty-solid-trait-for-nurses
Keating, S. B. (2018). Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing education (4th ed.). New York, N.Y.: Springer Publishing Company, LLC.
Kim, S. (2017). Millennial nurses ’Know it all’ – Generational stereotypes in nursing exposed. Retrieved from https://nurse.org/articles/nursing-generations/